Cut to Black: Recent Episodes
Sean T. Collins & Gretchen Felker-Martin
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Gretchen and Sean reunite to discuss Pope Pius XIII's address to the College of Cardinals in Paolo Sorrentino's The Young Pope, with lengthy digressions about The Sopranos, Roman Catholicism, "Sexy and I Know It," and our own miserable religious upbringings along the way.
(from The Young Pope Episode 5, written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino)
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Gretchen and Sean return to discuss the mysteries of faith explored in the climactic Little House on the Prairie episode "He Was Only Twelve (Part 2)." Yes, you read that right.
(from Little House on the Prairie Season 8, Episode 22: "He Was Only Twelve (Part 2)," written and directed by Michael Landon)
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In this episode, Gretchen and Sean discuss John C. Reilly's remarkable performance as the titular manchild in Tim & Eric's Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule.
(from Check It Out! 1x05: "Fear," w: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and John C. Reilly, d: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Jonathan Krisel)
Sean's Vulture piece on John C. Reilly in Check It Out!: https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/john-reilly-dr-steve-brule-best-comedic-performances.html
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Gretchen and Sean discuss the monsters of Channel Zero, Nick Antosca's near-peerless horror anthology series.
(from Channel Zero: Candle Cove, d. Craig William Macneill; Channel Zero: No-End House, d. Steven Piet; Channel Zero: Butcher's Block, d. Arkasha Stevenson; Channel Zero: The Dream Door, d. E.L. Katz)
Gretchen's Patreon: https://patreon.com/scumbelievable
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Sean's interview with Nick Antosca: https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/3/18164746/channel-zero-nick-antosca-interview-syfy-horror-show
Gretchen and Sean discuss “University,” the pivotal episode of The Sopranos and a landmark in the development of television drama.
(from The Sopranos 3x06, “University,” w: Terence Winter and Salvatore J. Stabile, story: David Chase & Terence Winter & Todd A. Kessler and Robin Green & Mitchell Burgess, d: Allen Coulter; music: “Living on a Thin Line” by The Kinks)
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Gretchen and Sean remember the life and career of Michael K. Williams, star of The Wire and Boardwalk Empire.
(excerpt from Boardwalk Empire 1x04, "Anastasia," w. Lawrence Konner & Margaret Nagle, d. Jeremy Podeswa)
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Gretchen and Sean discuss the "Coffin Flop" sketch from Tim Robinson's I Think You Should Leave, an entry point into the "vast wasteland" of commercial TV.
(from I Think You Should Leave 2x01, "They said that to me at a dinner.", w: Tim Robinson, d: Jeffrey Max and Zachary Johnson)
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Anne Victoria Clark's feature on the making of "Coffin Flop"
Spinning out of the moment when his nervous troops overhear Robb Stark being declared the King in the North, Gretchen and Sean discuss the role of peasants, soldiers, slaves, and the underclasses generally in Game of Thrones.
(from Game of Thrones 1x10, "Fire and Blood," w: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, d: Alan Taylor)
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Gretchen and Sean discuss the bombastically surreal "International Assassin" episode from The Leftovers, with digressions on critical groupthink and the need to accept the mystery.
(from The Leftovers 2x08, "International Assassin," w: Damon Lindelof & Nick Cuse, d: Craig Zobel)
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Gretchen and Sean discuss Mad Men's infamous lawnmower incident and the show's judicious use of horror, both real and imaginary.
(from Mad Men 3x06, "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency," w: Robin Veith & Matthew Weiner, d: Lesli Linka Glatter)
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Gretchen and Sean discuss Michael Sheen's extraordinary performance as the deeply troubled sportscaster Caspian Wint in the HBO mockumentary 7 Days in Hell as they attempt to answer the eternal question: Comedy—threat or menace?
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Note: This film's writer has been accused of rape. In this episode we neither discuss him nor mention him by name, and we stand with and believe the survivors without qualification.
Gretchen and Sean tackle the greatest fight scene ever filmed, the street fight between Dan Dority and Captain Turner in Deadwood Season 3, as part of a wide-ranging discussion of great (and not so great) fight scenes across film and television.
(from Deadwood 3x05, "A Two-Headed Beast," w: David Milch, d: Daniel Minahan)
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Gretchen and Sean discuss the explosive finale of Breaking Bad Season 2.
(from Breaking Bad 2x13, "ABQ," w: Vince Gilligan / d: Adam Bernstein)
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"It occurred to me: The basis of fiction is that people have some sort of connection with each other, but they don't." —Richard Harrow, Boardwalk Empire
Sean and Gretchen discuss their favorite line of dialogue of all time and its ramifications for Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Twin Peaks, Deadwood, and beyond.
(from Boardwalk Empire 1x07, "Home," w: Tim Van Patten & Paul Simms / d: Allen Coulter)
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In this second special prologue episode, Sean and Gretchen continue their discussion of the past two decades' most notable shows, including The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men, Channel Zero, American Crime Story, Fargo, and more. Originally aired as The Boiled Leather Audio Hour Episode 127.
In this special prologue episode, Sean and Gretchen discuss some of the best shows of the past 20 years, including The Sopranos, Twin Peaks, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, The Terror, Halt and Catch Fire, and many more. Originally aired as The Boiled Leather Audio Hour Episode 124.